Rhino Charge Page 6

  “I’ve certainly seen some familiar faces, but we’ve been busy. Scrutineering today was particularly tiring in the heat.”

  “I better go, old bean. Kipto’s just put my supper on the table and Samwell is hovering in the doorway to help me. Look after yourself.”

  “And you.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chloe and Rose emerged from their tent just before half past five on Monday morning. It was the 2nd of May, which was a public holiday across Kenya as May 1st, which was Labour Day, had been a Sunday.

  Chloe stamped her feet and hugged herself. “I’m pleased you told me to bring some warm clothing.” She wore a lightweight down jacket, with the hood up to keep her head warm, and leather gloves.

  Last week Rose had used the upcoming event as an excuse to visit Mitumba: a large market of second-hand clothes exported from Europe. At a stall specialising in fleece items she had haggled with the stall holder for a gilet, jacket, hat and gloves. The colours might be mismatched, but she felt very cosy.

  Chloe yawned and picked up her bag. The camp staff had prepared a flask of hot water and given them sachets of tea and coffee, and a small carton of milk.

  As they walked past the large bar tent towards parc fermé Chloe exclaimed, “The whole of headquarters must be awake, and half the Mara.” Tall spotlights shone down on the parked vehicles and people were everywhere, like a swarm of multi-coloured locusts. There was a lot of shouting, banging, and general excitement. Even Rose felt a flutter of anticipation in her empty stomach.

  “Good luck,” shouted Chloe to the Bandit Bush Hogs as they stalked past. Their blue t-shirts were supplemented with yellow accessories: a beanie hat for Thabiti, a rope-like belt for Jono and yellow jackets all round. Marina and Thabiti acknowledged the greeting by raising their hands, but neither smiled, and Marina’s bruise appeared a deep black. They must be nervous, thought Rose. It was their first Rhino Charge.

  Only Sam, who strode causally at the back, called to them. “Morning, ladies. Now make sure you keep out of trouble.”

  “We have to find the vehicle driving to guard post seven,” said Rose. They looked around.

  Chloe tapped Rose’s shoulder. “Someone’s holding a number seven flag over there next to the vehicle with ‘Sandstorm Kenya’ printed on the side and a lizard logo.” They were directed to a fawn-coloured Land Cruiser. After ten minutes, a car with a number eight flag drove out of the headquarters, followed by five Rhino Charge vehicles.

  “We leave next,” their African driver told them as he started the engine. Their journey was slow and bumpy, but Chloe was delighted to spot something moving through the grass beside the track.

  Leaning forward between the front seats, she asked the driver, “What’s that?”

  “A serval cat,” he answered. “It has a small head, but big ears.” Rose looked out of the window. The serval cat was larger than a domestic cat and had long legs. Rose only caught brief glimpses of its tan-coloured body and dark spots, as it was well-camouflaged in the dry grass.

  “How much longer?” moaned Chloe, settling back in her seat.

  “Ten minutes, Madam. We are heading to guard post seven, which is one of the furthest from headquarters. But don’t worry, you will see lots of action because you are at one end of the Gauntlet.”

  “The Gauntlet,” Frank Butler briefed them on arrival at their guard post, “is a combination of guard posts five, six and seven. There will be a lot of spectators as the route down that rocky outcrop over there will probably determine the winning teams.”

  After Frank completed his briefing, Chloe poured hot drinks. A team from Sandstorm Kenya, who were sponsoring the guard post, unpacked water and food. Rose and Chloe strode to the bottom of a rocky slope.

  “Cars can’t possibly drive down here.” Chloe’s eyes widened as she looked up the incline. “There’s a huge boulder in the way and the surface is covered in jagged rocks, which are far too large to drive over. And bushes are growing in all the crevices.”

  Rose leaned her head to one side, “Oh, they will, and the bushes won’t last long.” They walked around to the side of the outcrop which faced the guard post.

  “This might be the most direct route, but it’s far too steep and look at those rock ledges.”

  Rose chuckled, “Just wait and see. Teams won’t just drive down this slope, some will also attempt to drive up it.”

  Chloe unzipped her jacket as the day was beginning to heat up. “What is this Gauntlet Frank was telling us about?”

  Rose paused, “I suppose it could be described as a mini Rhino Charge. As with the main competition, the winner is the team which reaches the three checkpoints in the shortest distance. Usually the course has some of the most difficult obstacles on the whole Charge and invariably there’s a water crossing. Frank is right, though. There will be a lot of spectators. We will need to manage them and keep them off the course. We don’t want any accidents.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Rose stood inside the guard post tent and watched the rally clock. It was synchronised with headquarters and clicked towards half past seven, the starting time for the Rhino Charge. Chloe waited outside. At twenty-nine minutes past seven, Rose raised her hand and Chloe replicated the action by raising the number seven flag.

  The clock clicked to seven-thirty. As Rose dropped her hand, Chloe swept the flag to the ground in a theatrical gesture as if she was starting a formula one motor race.

  Wonda, one of the Sandstorm Kenya representatives, ticked off the five teams, starting at the guard post, on a clipboard. Rose joined Chloe and they watched two teams turn north.

  “They’re taking the easier route,” commented Rose. “I presume they’ll hope to have enough time at the end of the day to complete the Gauntlet.”

  “The other three teams are tackling the slope.” Chloe bounced up and down on the soles of her feet. “Oh,” she cried disappointedly. “Car 11 is taking the easy option.”

  They watched as it drove a circuitous route around the outcrop and up a gentler incline.

  Car 54, a compact red Land Rover, waited at the bottom of the easier rocky slope. “Are those the runners?” Chloe asked.

  “Yes,” answered Rose as she watched three red-topped team members grapple their way up the easier slope. “See how they move aside bushes as they scout for the best route.” One turned and waved a white cloth. The driver must have been waiting for the signal as the car rolled forward.

  The gathering crowd groaned and Rose stiffened when the car lost traction and began to slide backwards, sending a cascade of stones downhill. It ground to a halt, altered course to the right, and carefully continued its climb.

  “Their car sounds like a wild beast,” said Chloe. “The engine growled and grunted as it climbed, and now it’s reached flatter ground at the top it sounds as if it’s purring.”

  Applause from the crowd sent Car 54 on its way and Rose’s attention was diverted to Car 18, which was still at the bottom of the steepest slope. She and Chloe walked forward so they had a better view of the yellow and black vehicle with ‘Bundu Bandits’ painted on the side.

  “Can you see the winch cable running from the front of the car up the slope?”

  “No,” Chloe scowled. A figure appeared at the top of the slope and waved towards the driver. The winch cable tightened and very steadily, Car 18 began its climb.

  Chloe gasped. “I see what you mean now.” Halfway up the slope, the car began to slip back until the winch cable became taught and held it in place.

  “The winch not only stops the car sliding backwards, it actually pulls it over the most demanding sections,” Rose instructed Chloe.

  “It’s taking ages, though. I know you said the winner doesn’t have to be the quickest around the course, but surely Car 18 will never reach all the checkpoints at this pace.” Chloe leaned forward as the car drove and was then dragged by the winch over a rock ledge. She exhaled as it completed the manoeuvre.

  “This team may
not be trying to win the main event. You see there’s a separate trophy for the winner of the Gauntlet.” After several more tense minutes, Car 18 reached the top and the crowd whooped and literally danced for joy.

  “They appreciated that,” said Rose. “Watch out, here comes the first team from another guard post.”

  Rose called to the Sandstorm crew who were still watching Car 18. They rushed into the tent, reappearing with bottles of water, fruit and hand-operated water sprays. “Those are like the sprays I use for my house plants,” commented Chloe.

  Car 44 progressed steadily down the hill. “Gravity helps this vehicle,” observed Chloe. “The momentum of its own weight helps it climb over the largest boulders and the driver has a much greater ability to pick his course.” Her hand flew to her mouth. “I see what you mean about the bushes. That car completely flattened them, and it’s about to arrive.”

  A storm of dust rose into the air as Car 44 reached flat ground, sped towards the guard post and braked hard. “Are we clear to proceed?” the driver asked, refusing the bottle of water he was offered. Rose nodded.

  The runners, whose red faces matched their t-shirts, allowed the Sandstorm team to give them a final spray of water before they dashed off, overtaking their vehicle. Another team member, standing in the back of the car, waved at them.

  The bonnets of two teams appeared at the top of the slope simultaneously. Car 57 began its descent, but it was too fast. The front of the car lurched to the left and hit a large boulder. The driver must have attempted to reverse, as the wheels spun backwards, but the car didn’t move. It was stuck. Car 1, painted bright yellow, inched between Car 57 and the trunk of a tree and reached the bottom of the slope, becoming the second car through the guard post.

  Chloe grabbed Rose’s arm. “Is that Marina’s Uncle Deepak’s team?” Rose could see the outline of a car at the top of the steep slope. Zigzagging down it were three Indian men wearing black shirts. They turned and scrambled back up the slope. Rose read ‘Rhino Force’ and ‘63’ on the back of their shirts.

  “Deepak must be brave.” Chloe bobbed up and down in excitement as she watched. “There’s no way I’d attempt to drive down that slope, and he must be in his late sixties. No offence meant,” she said, giving Rose a sideways glance.

  “None taken.” There was a lot of shouting from the Rhino Force team and then the nose of the car dropped over the edge. Rose heard a collective gasp from the swelling crowd of onlookers and Chloe beside her. She felt her own throat constrict as she watched Car 63 inch its way down the slope towards them.

  “Can you see? They’re using the rear winch to restrain the vehicle as it descends.”

  The crowd surged forward.

  Rose placed a hand on Chloe’s arm. “We need to push these spectators back to a safe distance. Any minute, another car could speed around the side of the rocks and drive straight into them.” Chloe and Rose waved their arms and shooed people back.

  The Rhino Force car jolted onto flat ground. “Ow! That must have hurt,” cried Chloe.

  Marina’s Uncle Deepak drove the car to the guard post and got out. He rolled his neck and stretched his arms. As each of the team members gulped water or chewed pieces of watermelon, Deepak grunted, “Well done team. Keep it up. Now for the next section I need you, Aatma, to go far ahead with Vijay, to find the best route to the next guard post. Hinesh, you keep close and call out if I’m about to hit anything or drive into a hole.”

  Two Indian men sped away as Deepak climbed back into the vehicle. A middle-aged man Rose had seen in their camp climbed into the passenger seat and they drove north.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Thabiti felt adrenaline pump through his body. He stood on the side of a slope, wondering how Mayur would push through the thicket of bushes surrounding them without landing on a rock or hitting a tree.

  “Thabiti,” Marina called. “We need your help finding a route through this.” Mayur stopped the car as Marina and Thabiti pushed aside bushes and examined the ground up the right-hand side of the slope. Jono and George, the other runner, mirrored their actions on the left and Sam was higher up the slope. Sam waved his arms and shouted, “You want to aim for me. This is the clearest route once you’re through the bushes.”

  Thabiti and Marina moved across the slope and positioned themselves between the vehicle and Sam. Marina found a large boulder and climbed on top of it. Waving her arms she shouted, “If you aim to the left of me you should be OK.”

  Thabiti tripped. “Watch out for this tree trunk,” he called. He clenched his hands and kept glancing away as Mayur carefully, but boldly, drove the car up the slope. Mayur was a good driver and he quickly altered course when the car met a rock which was too large to drive over.

  As the car passed between him and Marina, Thabiti watched the determined and focused expression on Mayur’s face. How could he see where he was going? Thabiti gasped as the car barged its way through the thick foliage.

  They all reached guard post six which was on top of a cliff. Thabiti rested his hands on his hips and panted.

  “Just look at this view.” Marina pointed into the distance. “That’s the Mara River winding its way through the reserve, while the crocs lie in wait for one of the famous wildebeest crossings.”

  Mayur and Jono spread a map on the car bonnet. Jono traced a route with his finger. George and Sam had vanished.

  “I’m not in as good a shape as I thought I was,” wheezed Thabiti. “I’ve spent too much time working on the car rather than on my fitness.”

  “Unlike Sam, who despite his size hasn’t stopped moving,” marvelled Marina. “I think he’s taken George to scout the next section. I’d better join them.”

  Jono called to Thabiti, “Do you want to hitch a lift in the back for the next section?”

  Gratefully, Thabiti climbed aboard and firmly grasped a metal rail as the car bounced over the rocky escarpment. He jumped down when they came to a stop at the top of a steep slope and joined his teammates.

  “That’s guard post seven down there, which is the end of the Gauntlet. If we’re to stand any chance of winning, this is the route we’ll have to take,” declared Mayur. “Other vehicles have come this way. I can see their tracks.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Jono argued. “This slope is extremely steep and uneven, and there are some nasty rock ledges to catch us out.”

  Mayur turned to Sam. “Will you be able to steady my descent with the rear winch?”

  Sam nodded. “I’ve already found a couple of sturdy trees. I’ll wrap the winch strop around them and secure the winch cable to it.”

  Jono paled. “I really think we ought to check out alternative routes.”

  Sam slapped him on the back. “Don’t worry, my friend. We can do this if we work together as a team.” He called to Thabiti, “Fetch me the winch strop. You know, the yellow length of nylon webbing.”

  Thabiti lifted the lid of a metal box which was bolted to the floor in the back of the vehicle. He found the winch strop and ran over to Sam, who wrapped it round two sturdy trees. He handed the looped ends to Thabiti.

  Next, Sam drew out the rear winch cable until it reached where Thabiti stood. He unscrewed the D-ring shackle, threaded the curved section through both ends of the winch strop, and screwed the pin back in place. He tugged the winch strop and grunted in satisfaction.

  “Thabiti, stand at the top of the slope so you can relay instructions from Mayur and the team below. I think we’ll find a warm welcome from Mama Rose and Chloe at the bottom.”

  Sam picked up a control box and walked as far as the control cable would allow. He clicked a button and the winch spun slowly until the cable was taught. “I’m ready,” shouted Sam.

  Mayur drove Car 27 over the edge of the slope.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Rose bit into a cheese and ham roll. She needed to maintain her strength.

  Chloe ran into the tent, her eyes sparkling. “The Bandit Bush Hogs are he
re and they’re attempting the steeper slope.”

  Rose wiped crumbs from her mouth, grabbed a bottle of water, and hurried after Chloe. They stood in front of the spectators who were once again edging closer to the action. Jono was towards the bottom of the slope, pacing this way and that. Marina was below the car, gesticulating to Mayur, and Thabiti stood higher up and appeared to be relaying instructions to whoever was at the top of the slope.

  “They’re using the winch.” Chloe was bobbing up and down again.

  “That means Sam must be at the top and Thabiti’s passing him instructions.”

  The car made good progress as Marina assisted Mayur to navigate around the worst crevices and boulders. It reached a point about five metres from the bottom of the slope where there was an imposing ledge.

  “That’s a steep drop.” Chloe tapped her hands against her legs.

  “Don’t worry, with the winch to hold it, the car will pop over the edge and then they’ll be down,” Rose reassured her.

  Mayur drove over the ledge. The back of the car reared up. Thabiti dived to the ground. Rose heard the metal winch cable whip through the air. The crowd gasped.

  Rose shouted, “Marina, get out of the way.” Marina was grabbed and hauled back by the other runner as Car 27 flipped over, bounced, and flipped again, landing on its roof at the bottom of the slope.

  There was an eerie silence, broken by the sound of dislodged rocks as Sam sped down the slope. He flung himself to the ground next to the driver’s door, and yanked free the window cage. He reached into the car.

  “Quick, get the medic,” Rose instructed Chloe. “Then radio headquarters. I think they’ll need to call in the Amref plane.” She ran forward, but stopped. “And send someone with the backboard.”

  The Bandit Bush Hog team gathered around the car whilst the Sandstorm representatives held the spectators back. Sam took charge. He used his immense strength to pull the car door open and wrestled it from its hinges. He lay face down on the ground and poked his head inside the car.